Many novelists, fans, and journalists went online after her passing to share illuminating stories about her. These are our favorites.

The world has lost a celestial talent in Ursula K. Le Guin, who passed away yesterday at the age of 88. The beloved author was mainly known for her science fiction and fantasy writing, but she had much more to offer than the well-thumbed paperbacks that adorned the bookshelves of multiple generations. She was a feminist hero, an ardent political activist for the left, a thoughtful essayist, and a sharp-tongued interviewee. As news of her passing spread online yesterday afternoon, writers of all stripes began to share favorite anecdotes about the author, illuminating some of the many multitudes she contained. These memories of the author go a long way toward explaining why so many loved Ursula K. Le Guin as a person every bit as much as they loved her writing.

advertisement

Her Refusal to Blurb a Science Fiction Anthology With No Women

in 1987, Ursula K. Le Guin was asked to write a blurb for a science fiction anthology showcasing established & up-and-coming writers alike — yet there were no stories by women. this was Le Guin's response (sourced from Shaun Usher's Letters of Note) pic.twitter.com/swIBFJKJup

Interviewing Ursula K Le Guin many years ago for Newsday, I asked her if she was political in her daily life. "Well, I go down to [Portland's] Pioneer Square at lunchtimes wearing a sandwich board that reads NO WAR. Is that political enough for you?"

I just learned that Ursula K. Le Guin has died. Her words are always with us. Some of them are written on my soul. I miss her as a glorious funny prickly person, & I miss her as the deepest and smartest of the writers, too. Still honoured I got to do this: https://t.co/U4mma5pJMw